15 Best Travel Lenses for Sony a7iii in 2023 – by a Travel Photographer

Are you looking for the best travel lenses for Sony a7iii? This post provides a helpful guide explaining the different types of Sony a7iii lenses, how you can use them in travel photography and what outcome you can expect from them.

I am a blogger and travel photographer, and taking photos while travelling the world is my full-time job. If you’re reading this post, I’m assuming you are already the proud owner of the Sony a7iii, which is hands down the best camera for travellers. It is a fantastic camera that I also owe and believe it’s the best Sony travel camera out there!

If you’re not really sure what are the different types of lenses, read the next section, but if you’re an advanced photographer, go ahead and skip this section, straight to the 15 Best Travel Photography Lenses.

Best Travel Lenses for Sony a7iii – Comparison Table

3 Best Lenses for Sony e Mount

Since you already owe the best travellers camera – Sony a7iii, here are the top 3 absolute must-have lenses for Sony a7iii to take on your next adventure in case you don’t have time to read the full post.

1 Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN ART – The best all round lens for Sony a7iii with excellent versatility and superb quality of steals and videos.

2 Sony G-Master Lens 24 mm F1.4 – Stellar prime lens with wide angle excellent for landscape, city and architecture. Excellent at low light and able to create fantastic bokeh. It can be used for videos and astrophotography of a night sky. It’s also great for Instagram travel photos.

3 Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 – Best affordable mid range telephoto lens for shooting from a distance.

How to choose the best travel lens for Sony a7iii?

Wide-angle lenses

Wide-angle lenses are excellent for landscape and city photography. Shooting with a wide-angle lens gives more depth of field, which means you can capture more detail by keeping elements of your background sharp. Anything between 35 and 24 mm is considered wide-angle. Lenses at 16 mm and below are considered to be ultra wide-angle.

They allow you to capture more in the frame of the image by not going too far. This is particularly useful in photographing architecture in a city with tight spaces when it’s impossible to move too far away from the photographed buildings that are high and wide.

It is also perfect for capturing a city skyline or a landscape because you can fit more into the frame of your image. If you love capturing city architecture and landscapes on your trips, get a wide angle lens for travel.

The drawback of wide-angle lenses is that they won’t capture the bokeh effect, and they are not suitable for low light photography.

Telephoto lenses

Telephoto lenses allow for capturing sharp images of objects that are very far away. They are great for capturing animals that are at a distance. If you’re a wildlife lover and do many animals watching or going on a safari trip, you could benefit from a telephoto lens for Sony a7iii. Generally, anything with a focal length of 60 mm or more is considered to be a telephoto lens. They can either be prime or zoom.

Telephoto lenses are also used for photographing sports events such as football or rugby. They are great at capturing players in movement from a distance with professional-looking bokeh background.

They also make the foreground and the background appear to be closer together. In travel photography, they allow you to take awesome photos of people with a background that appears more prominent than it is seen with human eyes, giving a cool effect with scenes such as mountains and interesting buildings.

Macro lenses

Macro lenses are used for taking pictures of small objects from a very close distance of a few cm. They can capture a lot of detail and have a shallow depth of field. Macro lenses are typically used for capturing nature – photos of insects, flowers, leaves etc. Most common macro lenses come with a focal range between 60 and 105 mm or 30 to 50 mm. This gives a 9 to 12-inch working distance from the object for a 1:1 macro. Both ranges are also suitable for taking flattering portrait photos. If you’re a traveller that enjoys taking pictures of close up nature, you need a macro lens.

Tele-macro lenses with a focal range of 15 to 200mm will allow you to take a macro shot being further away from the object but come with a much heathier price tag.

Prime lenses

Prime lenses have fixed focal points, which means that you can’t zoom in or out on them. Despite the fact that prime lenses don’t have zooms, there are many good reasons why you should have at least one prime lens amongst your travel photography lenses.

Prime lenses are perfect for portraits and close up photos.

Bokeh effect

They can create a beautiful bokeh effect (blurry background) thanks to the wider aperture going all the way to f\1.2.

We all love photos with a crisp, sharp object or person in the foreground and a beautifully blurred background. Those kinds of shots look super professional and are excellent for drawing attention to the subject. In order to achieve the background blur, also called the ‘bokeh effect’, we need a shallow depth of field. The lens will only focus on a small area in the frame taken up by the subject of the image – a person in portrait photography, a flower in macro photography, with the rest of the frame being out of focus.

The setting that is responsible for defocusing/ blurring the background is aperture. The higher the aperture (or lower the F/ number), the more blur we can achieve. The highest possible aperture you can get on a lens is f/ 1.2. A lens with that kind of aperture will be super expansive, and most of us won’t need it. If you really love the bokeh effect, aim to get a lens with the lowest aperture between f/2.8 and f/1.4.

Low light performance

Prime lenses also capture the light better and produce spectacular sunset/sunrise photos with defined sunrays. In those low light scenarios, zoom lenses would create a blurry image.

These can be night shots of a city or starry sky but also indoor photography and in scenarios where you deal with contrasting shadows. Generally, prime lenses with low max F stop (within f/2.8 to f/1.4 range) have the best ability to capture as much light as possible.

Prime lenses also capture the sharpest images since they don’t have the extra glass inside that zoom lenses have in order to move.

Also, prime lenses can gather more light on the sensor and capture beautiful images at lower light and using lower ISO that typically would be required on zoom lenses. The higher the ISO, the more grain is visible on the pictures, so it’s best practice to use as low ISO as possible.

In addition to all the benefits above, prime lenses are also very portable and light, making them the best travel lenses because you can fit them easily in your backpack and take on any adventure you like.

Zoom lenses

As the name suggests, zoom lenses are lenses that have the ability to change the focal point (you can zoom in and out on an object). They tend to be more cost-effective and give you more versatility.

While a zoom lens can’t compete with a quality prime lens in taking portrait shots, with a zoom lens, you will be able to capture people and objects being far away from them. If you like taking photos of local people going about their daily lives, zoom lenses will allow you to be more discrete. In most cases, however, always ask before taking pictures of people on your travels. Zoom lenses are also great at capturing moving objects in wildlife and city.

Video lenses

If you’re looking for the best Sony a7iii lens for shooting videos, you should look at the following specs.

Body image stabilisation

Sony a7iii camera is a premium full-frame camera that already comes with in-body image stabilisation. In-lens stabilisation tends to be more advantageous in telephoto lenses. Other than telephoto lenses, it is okay to buy a lens without optical stabilisation because the IBIS system in your camera will take care of the handshake.

Good autofocus

Excellent autofocus is another function important in a lens for smooth and professional-looking videos that will seemingly transition from focusing on one object to another. It is also important to get a lens with silent autofocus.

Ability to take 4k videos

If you’re serious about videography then your lens should be able to take footage in a high 4k resolution.

15 Best Lenses for Sony a7iii

Best Sony a7iii lenses all-rounders

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 AF DG DN Art – The best lens for travel

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART is the latest Sigma lens that was designed to outperform Sony and Canon lenses at a much smaller price tag. This lens is super versatile; it can take landscape and city photography to close up portraits and even macro shots. If you only have the budget for one lens, Sigma 24-70mm ART is the best lens for Sony a7iii to take on your travels!

Being a full-time travel photographer and blogger, this is my go-to lens for most scenarios.

The DG version is a considerable upgrade fixing many issues such as flare and ghosting that was present in older Sigma lenses for Sony a7iii and other full-frame cameras.

When it comes to image quality, this Sigma lens for Sony a7iii produces sharp and excellent contrast images throughout the entire focal range. The versatility of the lens let you shoot wide-angle landscapes that come with a lot of detail.

What is also really great about this lens is its excellent super fast and silent autofocus. With almost 100% precision, this lens will allow you to capture unforgettable moments on your adventures fast. It also comes with in-built image stabilisation, which will correct those handshakes when shooting at higher ISO in low light or with slower shutter speed.

With a max f/stop of 2.8, you will also be able to capture the beautiful bokeh effect while shooting portraits and close-ups.

Sigma 24-70mm is very well built and have a professional look and feel, but also it is on a large side compared to a similar Tamron lens SP 28-75mm, but it is smaller than Sony own equivalent lens. The lens can produce barrel distortion and vignetting, but they can easily be corrected in post-production in Lightroom.

Overall, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART is the best lens for a7iii Sony camera and the perfect lens for travel photography. It is super versatile, allowing you to shoot landscapes and portraits with top-notch quality and super fast and accurate autofocus.

Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD – Best budget lens for Sony a7iii for all-round use

This lens is one of the best Tamron lenses for Sony a7iii. It’s exceptionally affordable, super versatile – it can take landscape and portrait photos at stellar quality, leaving little things not to like about this lens. If you’re on a budget and looking for the best lens for Sony alpha 7iii – you can’t really go wrong with this Tamron lens.

Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 takes stellar sharp images with excellent contrast through the entire zoom range. Because it’s been built with quality glass, it produces minimal lens distortion such as ghosting, chromatic aberration and flare. Some colour fringing towards the corners of the frame and vignetting is present but can be easily corrected in-camera menu or in post-production software.

Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 lens provides a constant aperture throughout the entire zoom range, while the Sony’s equivalent lens – FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 doesn’t (it shrinks to f/5.6). Faster aperture adds to the versatility of this excellent budget lens, allowing you to use this lens for portraits and creating beautiful images with a lower depth of field and bokeh effect. A faster aperture is also helpful for shooting in low light scenarios.

Fast aperture combined with excellent zoom – ranging from wide-angle to short telephoto makes this lens a stellar allrounder at a super affordable price tag.

In addition, Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 is equipped with excellent autofocus – RXD – (rapid extra-silent stepping drive) that is super silent and impressively accurate, allowing you to capture those precious moments while travelling without much effort.

The drawback of this lens is that it doesn’t come with optimal image stabilisation, but that doesn’t really matter if you owe a Sony a7iii that comes with in-body stabilisation.

Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 lens weighing only 550g is exceptionally lightweight and compact, perfect for serving as an all-around travel lens. It is also weather-sealed, which is handy for taking this lens on all sorts of outdoor adventures.

Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 is one of the best budget lenses for Sony a7iii. If you’re looking for a versatile lens that can take quality landscapes and close-ups at a super affordable price – Tamron is your pick.

Best wide angle lenses for Sony a7iii

Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 GM – Best wide angle zoom lens for Sony

Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 GM is the best wide angle lens for Sony a7iii producing consistently stellar sharp images at a constant fast aperture. If you have the budget, this is a top pick for a wide angle lens for Sony a7iii. If you’re a cost-conscious buyer, consider going for Sigma 14-24 F/2.8 DG DN Art Lens reviewed in the next section.

It comes with a fast constant aperture of f/2.8 throughout the entire zoom range. This results in a nice smooth bokeh effect that you can achieve in your travel photography. Its fast aperture will work well with low light scenarios and shooting indoors, such as visiting museums and churches.

Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 GM produces super sharp photos even when shooting wide open with excellent contrast.

Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 GM also comes with super fast and virtually silent autofocus that works well with the Sony cameras and will allow you to take sharp images at a minimal effort while you’re adventuring.

Thanks to its premium built lens distortions such as vignetting, ghosting, colour fringing and flare are minimum and can easily be adjusted in post-production software such as Lightroom. It is slightly less sharp in the corners of the frame when shooting at 35mm, but the quality is still very good for this type of lens.

The lens has quality built, comes with a hood and a case and a handy focus hold button that can be customised. However, it is pretty heavy, weighing 680g and a tad bulky. It also does not come with built-in stabilisation, but that is not a deal-breaker paired with Sony a7iii that comes with one.

Overall, Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 GM is a premium wide lens for Sony a7iii, producing stellar sharp images at all zoom ranges with the ability to create a beautiful bokeh effect. It also comes with a premium price tag, but it is proportionate to the superb performance. 

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 DG DN Art Lens – Ultra wide lens for Sony a7iii

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 DG DN Art is a superb lens producing stellar sharp images at all zoom lengths. In addition, its autofocus is precise and fast, although not entirely silent, which makes Sigma one of the best wide lenses for Sony a7iii.

Its fast aperture – f/2.8 will allow you to create a beautiful bokeh effect. Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 is also an excellent lens for low light photography, such as indoors or at night. The fast aperture will make it possible to use lower ISO settings minimising the noise.

Its ultra-wide angle of view makes this lens the perfect lens for shooting in tight spaces in the city when it’s impossible to move away from the photographed buildings. The 14mm angle will push the background away substantially. The wide angle will also bring more background into the frame and exaggerated image perspective allowing for some creative captures on your adventures.

This focal length is also suitable for landscape photography and photographing a night sky.

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 DG DN Art produces minimal lens distortion, nothing that can’t be adjusted in the post-production editing software such as Lightroom.

This Sigma lens has a super solid build, and it’s completely weather-sealed. Its focus ring is super smooth and allows for very precise adjustments. It also has been enhanced from its previous models by an autofocus lock button on the side of the barrel that is customisable in the camera menu.  It is, however, a further 100g heavier than the Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8.

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 does not come with optical image stabilisation, but that does not matter, thanks to the IBIS system of Sony a7iii.

Overall, Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 is an excellent cheaper alternative to an equivalent Sony lens. It is the best wide lens for Sony a7iii for city and architecture photography.

Sony 55mm F1.8 – Best landscape lens for Sony a7iii

Sony 55mm f/1.8 is an excellent quality prime lens with a versatile focal length. It is also super compact and light, and for that reason, it is one of the best Sony lenses for landscape and one of the top lenses for travel photography.

A focal length of 55mm is close to what the human eye sees. This means that Sony 55mm f/1.8 can be used in various scenarios – primely as a landscape and city lens due to its wide-angle but also for casual portraits and some close-ups.

A cheaper alternative to this lens is Sony 50mm f/1.8 that is considerably cheaper, providing a similar angle of view but nowhere near as sharp and well-built as Sony 55mm f/1.8.

The lens produces razor-sharp images with good contrast at all aperture speeds and corner to corner, especially at the higher f/stop settings. It also has excellent autofocus that focuses accurately and fast on photographed subjects. There is a manual focus ring that is easy to use and moves smoothly, allowing for a precise adjustment. 

Due to its fast aperture of f/1.8, this lens takes excellent images in low light scenarios with relatively low ISO settings and faster shutter speed. If you’re looking for a fantastic lens to take photos of the city by night, this lens is a perfect choice. High max aperture also means that you will be able to achieve with this lens lots of creative freedom, being able to take photos with a narrow depth of field (smooth and blurry background).

Weighing just under 300g, Sony 55mm f/1.8 is exceptionally light and portable, which is good news for all the minimalists and those wanting to travel light. It is also weather-sealed. Sony 55mm f/1.8, however, does not come with optical image stabilisation, but that should not be a deal-breaker because Sony a7iii comes already with the Sony IBIS system (In-body image stabilisation).

Overall, Sony 55mm f/1.8 is one of the best landscape lenses for Sony a7iii versatile enough also to be used for portraits, close-ups and architecture. It has a premium built and produces the sharpest images seen at this focal length, all for not the cheapest but a reasonable price tag.

Best prime lenses for Sony a7iii

Sony G-Master Lens 24 mm F1.4 – Best prime lens for Sony a7iii ideal for Instagram travel photos

Sony G-Master Lens 24 mm F1.4 is one of the professional and best prime lenses for Sony a7iii. It is a wide angle lens that produces super sharp images with a wide angle perspective. It is a little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Sony G-Master Lens 24 mm F1.4 lens was designed to produce excellent quality images. With the maximum aperture of f/1.4 coupled with wide-angle, this lens can achieve very interesting images – an attractive bokeh effect with a wide-angle view of the background. If you have a travel Instagram account – this is a tremendous professional lens for taking unique photos of yourself and showing a lot of scenery at the same time.

Also, because it goes as low as f/1.4, this lens performs exceptionally well in all low light scenarios. If you’re looking to take photos indoors, such as churches or museums, hotels this lens will give you some quality results being able to capture more light than other lenses. Sony 24 mm F1.4 will also let you shoot handheld street lights and city views at night with stellar results.

Sony 24 mm F1.4 is extremely well made and fully weather-sealed. It is also very light compared to its Sigma 24mm f/1.4 equivalent, which is excellent news for all the travellers out there. Another fantastic design feature is its manual aperture ring, where you can easily change f/stops.

Overall, Sony 24 mm F1.4 is an amazing prime lens, an excellent choice for Sony a7iii and one of the best lenses for Sony Alpha cameras. It’s great for wide perspective, incredible bokeh effect and low light. It comes with a hefty price tag, but if you’re looking for something professional that produces super sharp images, this lens is for you.

Sony FE 135 mm F1.8 – Best portrait lens for Sony a7iii

For those travellers who love to shoot portraits on their adventures, Sony FE 135 mm F1.8 is the best Sony lens for portraits to complement their camera gears. It produces super sharp images with creamy bokeh background that perfectly draws attention to the subject with no distractions whatsoever.

Sony FE 135 mm F1.8 produces stellar sharp images at superb contrast with minimal lens distortions. This lens is a star at creating a super creamy bokeh effect (narrow depth of field). It also has an excellent autofocus function that focuses super fast and is precise even on moving subjects.

Shooting with 135mm focal length requires moving away from the object quite a substantial distance but at the same time can create a spectacular ‘tunnel vision’ effect separating the photographed object nicely from the background. If you’re looking for this type of specialised creative tool for shooting portraits, Sony FE 135 mm F1.8 is for you. Sony 135 mm F1.8 is also suitable for shooting macros.

Sony FE 135 mm F1.8 has a premium built and is fully weather-sealed. The lens comes with a physical aperture ring which comes really handy for shooting steals. This is a premium feature of some of the best Sony lenses for portraits. It gives a click sound for precise adjustments but also have a continuous mode for video shooting.  It is not the most compact lens weighing almost a kilogram and is pretty pricey too.

Overall, Sony FE 135 mm F1.8 is for you if you’re looking for a premium lens for shooting stellar sharp portraits and achieving a very smooth bokeh effect. It is one of the best portrait lenses for Sony a7iii if you can handle a bit of specialised long focal length.

Sony FE 85mm F1.8 – Best budget portrait lens

Sony FE 85mm F1.8 is one of the most affordable Sony lenses out there. It is perfect for portraits and creating the bokeh effect. If you’re looking for a quality portrait lens but are on the budget, look no further.

With a focal length of 85mm, this Sony prime lens has an ideal angle of view for taking stunning portraits. Its bright aperture coupled with 85mm focal length will allow you to achieve a beautiful bokeh effect (narrow depth of field resulting in a creamy, smooth background), sending all attention to the subject of your photo.

If you were to use a zoom lens at 85mm focal length, you could only go to f/2.8 aperture. But, if you want something with an even wider aperture and are willing to pay twice as much, go for Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN ART lens.

If you love taking photos of people, daily life and lifestyle while travelling, this lens will come in very handy. While this Sony lens is ideal for portraits, its fixed focal length is versatile enough also to serve you in landscape photography and product close-ups.

Sony FE 85mm F1.8 generally takes sharp images with a razor sharpness corner to corner at f/2.8.

Also, with a wide aperture of f/1.8, this lens is a stellar performer in shooting with low light and indoors, allowing for sharper images thanks to low ISO settings and faster shutter speed. You can take Sony FE 85mm F1.8 to shoot in museums, hotels and at sunset. Excellent low light performance is also helpful for freezing objects in motion.

Sony FE 85mm F1.8 does not come with image stabilisation. However, thanks to the IBIS (in-body image stabilisation), this is not a big deal for Sony a7iii shooters.

It has a compact and light body, and it is made of durable materials. If you’re looking for something entry-level for portraits that won’t break the bank, Sony FE 85mm F1.8 is one of the best lenses for Sony a7 iii.

Sony FE 90mm F2.8 G OSS – Best macro lens for Sony a7iii for close-ups such as insects and flowers

Sony FE 90mm F2.8 is a premium lens and one of the best macro lenses for Sony a7iii. It’s one of the sharpest lenses out there, and it hits the sweet range of 90mm to 105mm, perfect for macro photography.

It provides a good working distance of 28 cm to the subject, and with an f/2.8 maximum aperture and 90mm focal length, this lens can easily be used as a portrait lens too. It takes stellar sharp images corner to corner even when shooting wide open at its maximum aperture of f/2.8 capturing all different textures and details. This macro lens is also excellent at low light, and it produces virtually no lens distortions.

Sony FE 90mm F2.8 has an aperture ring that can be turned smoothly while shooting a video providing a seamless transition from in-focus to a blurry background. Some of the best lenses for a7iii come with optical image stabilisation, and Sony FE 90mm F/2.8 also comes with it.

It is also equipped with Optical Steady Shot which further enhances this lens capability to be a great video lens and allows for shooting with slower shutter speed and higher ISO in low light scenarios without the need for a tripod.

The body weighing over 600g is not the smallest body amongst Sony alpha a7 iii lenses. It has a rubberised ring for more comfortable handling a pull/push switch for manual and autofocus modes, which can be pretty handy in shooting macros.

All in all, Sony FE 90mm F2.8 is one of the best macro Sony lenses for a7iii that produces stellar sharp images corner to corner and is versatile enough to be used in portrait and even some landscape photography.

Best zoom lenses for Sony a7iii

Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS – Best zoom lens for Sony a7iii for travel

If you’re a photographer who likes having the freedom to zoom in on points of interest on your travels, you should consider getting a zoom lens that will allow for it. Sony FE 24-105mm F4 is the perfect choice that offers a relatively wide zoom range in a portable body.

24-105mm zoom range makes this lens one of the versatile zoom lenses for Sony a7iii, flexible enough for shooting landscape, portraits and some causal macros and close-ups.

If you’re looking for a higher zoom range, you may want to consider Sony FE 24-240mm. However, this lens is much bulkier, which may not be suitable for travelling light and does not match the optical quality Sony FE 24-105mm F4 gives.

Sony FE 24-105mm F4 takes sharp images with the best result in the middle range of the aperture and throughout the whole range of the zoom, even at 105mm. At the highest aperture f/4, the edges of the frame are a little soft. The lens produces some visible lens distortion such as dark edges (vignetting) that can be corrected in-camera when shooting Jpeg or in Lightroom when shooting RAW.

Sony FE 24-105mm F4 is relatively compact and light for a zoom lens and, in comparison, to similar zoom lenses. It is fully weather-sealed and comes with a hood. It also has a premium feel with rubberised rings – one for autofocus, one for zoom.

Overall, Sony FE 24-105mm F4 is a great zoom lens choice for Sony a7iii camera boasting a portable body and ability to take sharp images at all focal lengths.

Best video lenses for Sony a7iii

Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 AF DG DN Art – Best video lens for Sony a7iii

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART is genuinely an outstanding lens and also happens to be my lens of choice for most of my travel photography. I’ve already mentioned Sigma 24-70mm as the overall best travel lens, but this Sigma ART lens is also an excellent, if not the best, lens for video Sony a7iii.

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART lens is a solid choice for all in one lens for shooting videos. It is incredibly versatile and can be used for shooting landscapes, people, close-ups and vlogs.

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART produces stellar sharp videos in 4k resolution with up to 120 frames per second. It has super-fast and virtually silent autofocus, which is super important when shooting videos.

Some of the best lenses for Sony a7iii video come with in-built image stabilisation, and this Sigma lens also comes with one. In-built image stabilisation will correct those handshakes when shooting at higher ISO in low light or with slower shutter speed, enhancing the built-in Sony camera stabilisation (IBIS).

With a max f/stop of 2.8, you will also be able to capture the beautiful bokeh effect while shooting steals and videos alike. Thanks to the wide aperture, this lens works extremely well in low light scenarios too, and the fixed f/2.8 aperture will allow you to keep the exposure level of your video constant while zooming in and out on subjects.

Sigma 24-70mm is very well built and have a professional look and feel, but also it is on a large side compared to a similar Tamron lens SP 28-75mm, which is also one of the best lenses for video Sony a7iii.

Overall, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART is the best lens for travel photography for both steals and shooting videos.

Sony 28mm F/2.0 – Best vlogging lens for Sony a7iii

What makes Sony 28mm F/2.0 a great choice for vlogging? It’s compact, has fast autofocus and is super affordable.

Costing well below the average market price for a lens, Sony 28mm F/2.0 is the best lens for Sony a7iii video for all YouTubers just starting out and videography hobbyists.

28mm is a wide-angle which is perfect for recording yourself from a hand or gimble distance. Also, with a maximum aperture of f/2.0, this lens will create a lovely bokeh effect to further draw attention to the subject. Sony 28mm F/2.0 takes sharp photos and can record high-quality videos, especially in mid-range aperture settings. At the highest aperture is gives a visible distortion of soft edges.

Sony 28mm F/2.0 lens is one of the smallest lenses out there, weighing only 200g while it’s fully weather-sealed, and for that reason, it is one of the best Sony lenses for travel. It also has a physical focus ring that is powered electronically but easy to use.

It does not come with optical image stabilisation, but again it doesn’t matter when paired with Sony a7iii. Also, if you’re recording vlogs, you probably want to get a gimble anyway, which will make recording yourself way easier, and it will smooth the handshake.

With a minimum focus distance of 0.29m, it can’t really be used as a macro lens. There are, however, some adapters that the lens can be paired with to expand its functionality.

Overall, Sony 28mm F/2.0 is an excellent choice for travel vlogging when you’re just starting out and looking for an affordable lens with a high aperture in a light and portable body.

Best Telephoto lenses for Sony a7iii

Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS – The best professional telephoto lens for Sony a7iii

If you’re looking for the absolute best travel lens that will act as a telephoto lens, look no further. Sony 70-200mm F2.8 is a premium telephoto lens with unbeatable performance and quality.

The focal range of 70-200mm is considered a short-mid-telephoto range, and there are definitely many uses in travel photography for it. It can act as a landscape lens, especially if the subject is at a far distance. Sony 70-200mm F2.8 also does an excellent job at shooting portraits. If you enjoy taking photos of the daily life of local people or sports events, this lens will do an excellent job.

With a high aperture, Sony 70-200mm F2.8 also performs strongly in low light scenarios such as indoors, and it’s the best Sony lens for travel to indoor events. Thanks to the high aperture, it is possible to shoot with lower ISO settings, resulting in sharper images captured at low light.

When it comes to portraits, it can create a shallow depth of field with a beautiful bokeh effect, whether shooting people or animals at a medium distance.

Moreover, Sony 70-200mm F2.8 has super-fast and very accurate autofocus and produces images stellar sharp from edge to edge and even when shooting wide open.

It comes with optical image stabilisation and paired with Sony a7iii, this is further enhanced to 5-axis stabilisation that improves the image resolution, especially in low lights situations.

The downsides of this lens are its super heavy and bulky body and the unforgiving price tag.

Overall, Sony 70-200mm F2.8 is hands down the best telephoto lens for Sony a7iii available on the market with stellar sharp images edge to edge, super-fast autofocus and excellent performance in low light. If you’re a professional or a serious hobbyist, this lens is for you. Otherwise, go for the cheaper alternative listed below.

Sony 200-600MM F5.6-6.3 – Super tele lens for Sony with even wider zoom range ideal for photographing sports events but weighing over 2 kg, which is a little too bulky for being the best travel lens.

Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 – Best budget telephoto lens for Sony a7iii

If you’re looking for something more affordable than the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 mentioned in the previous section, I recommend considering Tamron 70-180 F.28 as your telephoto lens of choice.

Choosing third party Tamron lenses for Sony cameras usually means cost savings. This is also true in case of this lens! Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 comes with excellent quality at a very affordable price point.

It takes super sharp images at all focal lengths and even when shooting wide open. The lens can produce typical lens distortions such as ghosting, flares and chromatic aberration that can be fixed in editing software. Tamron 70-180 F.28 can take images with a decent amount of bokeh for beautiful portraits and close-ups with smooth background.

Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 with its bright maximum aperture will allow you to shoot in low light scenarios such as city by night, museums and other indoor venues with lower ISO settings and comfortable shutter speed, which result in less noise. Tamron also has fast and accurate autofocus.

Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 can focus as close as 0.27m to the subject, meaning you can use this lens for some casual macro shots for 1:2 life-size images too.

This Tamron telephoto lens for Sony a7iii does not come with optical image stabilisation, but as mentioned in the previous sections, this is a nonissue when paired with the fantastic IBIS system of the Sony a7iii camera.

Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 is very compact and light for a telephoto lens with a bright aperture. It’s made well and comes with a hood and all the weather sealing, which is super important when shooting outdoors.

Similar competitors lenses come at 70-200mm – 20mm more than Tamron lens. However, thanks to reducing focal length range, the Tamron lens is much more compact and suitable for travelling.

Overall, Tamron is an excellent choice for a telephoto lens if you are willing to sacrifice an additional 20mm of focal length for a more portable body at a much lower price tag than the Sony own lens.

Best Sony astrophotography lenses

Sony G-Master Lens 24 mm F1.4 – Best lens for astrophotography Sony

I’ve mentioned Sony G-Master Lens 24 mm F1.4 as the best prime lens, and this premium lens is also fantastic for astrophotography if you don’t mind paying a little extra. 

Sony G-Master 24 mm F1.4 lens was designed to produce excellent quality images. The image sharpness is stellar strong from edge to edge, and with the ultra-wide aperture, this lens produces outstanding photos at low light. With its prowess, you will be able to shoot handheld in the city at night and still take sharp images. Its super bright aperture and wide angel focal length make this lens perfect for shooting a starry night.

Sony 24 mm F1.4 is extremely well made and fully weather-sealed. It is also very light compared to its Sigma 24mm f/1.4 equivalent, which is excellent news for all the travellers out there. Another fantastic design feature is its manual aperture ring, where you can easily change f/stops.

Overall, Sony 24 mm F1.4 is an amazing prime lens, an excellent choice for Sony a7iii. It’s great for wide perspective, incredible bokeh effect and low light. It comes with a hefty price tag, but if you’re looking for something professional that produces super sharp images, this lens is for you.

Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 – Lightest & affordable astrophotography lens for Sony 

Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 is a strong budget choice when it comes to night sky photography.

It has a wide-angle view and works well with the low light of the night sky. With F2 maximum aperture, considerable light is gathered in the camera sensor, allowing for a stunning low light shot. This lens can also be used for shooting indoors. Its wide aperture will allow for lower ISO settings and faster shutter speed, producing sharper images with less noise.

The image sharpness is not as superb as with Sony 24mm f/1.4, but this sacrifice comes with a lower price tag. However, the image resolution is still very good, with some soft edges while shooting wide open at F2. The lens is also prone to lens distortions such as chromatic aberration and vignetting, which means darker corners.

At this focal length, you can also use Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 for some wide-angle portrait shots. At the maximum aperture of f/2, you will be able to achieve a thin layer of bokeh background.

Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 has been made exceptionally well from durable materials that are also super light. This lens weighs just over 300g and is fully weather-sealed. If you’re looking for a wide angle astro lens that won’t weigh you down, look no further.

Overall, Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 is a good choice for astrophotography. It is extremely light and portable, which makes it super travel friendly. It produces decently sharp images, and its biggest drawbacks are the lens distortion, especially the vignetting, which may not be ideal for astrophotography.

Best Sony a7iii Accessories

Best gimbal for Sony a7iii

Best flash for Sony a7iii

Best SD card for Sony a7iii

Best tripod for Sony a7iii

Underwater housing for Sony a7iii

Battery grip for Sony a7iii

Final word

There are literally thousands and thousands of lenses to choose from for your Sony camera, and it is so easy to get overwhelmed. I hope this post helped you choose one or two lenses – suitable for your needs. If you’re still confused, here are my three must have lenses for Sony a7iii:

1 Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN ART – The best all in one lens for Sony a7iii.

2 Sony G-Master Lens 24 mm F1.4 – The best wide angle prime lens for portraits, night shots and landscape.

3 Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 – The best affordable telephoto lens.

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